Event Open Masquerade Ball 2019

He chuckled, watching the man stare at his feet intensely. He really hadn't been kidding about not being a dancer... His posture was off and his steps were offbeat, not to mention his eyes being rooted to the floor. If he danced like that, there would be no chance of his other partners enjoying the dance. At its essence, ballroom dance was a social thing after all - an opportunity to get physically and emotionally closer to your dance partner as friends or otherwise.

"I have." He smiled. "But look at you! You're dancing already! Told you we'd have you dancing in no time." He joked, trying his best to reassure his partner. "Waltzes are the easiest dance. We're currently doing the box step, which I guess you could say is the twinkle twinkle little star of ballroom dance: anyone can pick it up, but it takes the skilled to make it look good." Step, 2, 3, step, 2, 3. The man learned quickly, which was good news for Yuki. Even if he wasn't particularly talented, he'd soon perfect it. After all, he was an absolute beginner.

" I suppose it would be better for me to count aloud instead of in my head though. Let's think about it like this. Step, 2, 3, step, 2, 3..." He continued to lead, watching the man's attempt to follow his lead. He was managing, if barely.

@Wolfie

Laughing again, he replied: "if that's what you'd call it." To him, it seemed more like frantically stepping than an elegant dance but he had warned his dance teacher. If this was the "easiest" then there was no way that he was even going to have a go at any dances more complex than that one.

His partner counting aloud actually helped; he found it easier to step in time. Though, for the moment, he still had to keep looking down at his feet every now and again. "You're very good! You can tell you've done this before."

"So how are you finding this place then?" Talking made it harder to step in time but he was getting better at it. It was still a long way until it would be considered a well-performed dance but it was passable.

@Hope the Bard

"Why thank you." Yuki smiled before continuing to count, flattered and pleased that his student was finally looking him properly in the eyes and not staring at his feet. To be fair, it wouldn't be hard for his partner to look at his feet every so often considering their height difference. The white haired kid wasn't the tallest of people at a meager 165cm, but his personality and easy grace made up for it on the dance floor.

"How I'm finding it?" He asked, eyebrows furrowed as he considered his experiences so far. "Starlight is absolutely filled to the brim with amazing people who never fail to make me feel accepted, even when I find it hard to accept their appearances sometimes." He smiled fondly, letting the memories and music take him on a nostalgia trip. "The community centre is always full of interesting people to talk to, and I learn a lot from everyone every day. How about you? Has Mantra Carlos been as good to you as it has been to me?"

He resumed his counting but now at a whisper, considering his partner was quickly getting accustomed to the dance.

@Wolfie

Placing her arms on Purplegrin's, Bel quite simply let him lead her in the dance - a waltz that was quite familiar to her. The steps were ones she remembered learning with the druids, or mostly. There were a few repetitions she was sure that she must have forgotten when PG moved her fairly deftly through a new (or forgotten) set of steps.

Gliding to the left, Bel nodded in answer to PG's question. "Not so much now, but before I came to the island, I definitely attended four to five a year. Every season had a celebration and all the seasonal gods would attend them. My favorites were always Imbolic, Yule, and my own," she confessed unabashedly.

"What about you?" Bel asked as she looked curiously at PG, trying to see beyond the oversized mask.

@PixelatedGlory

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"Wow, Mr Drakenhardt," Harmonia stated as she continued to sip at her drink, visibly unperturbed by his comment. "Such an endearing compliment. It's very obvious now why your own date is hanging off your arm," she pointed out, giving him a sweet smile that was anything but.

"And just so you know. I came alone, and I am the one who steals dates, not the other way around," she informed him smugly.

@Max!!

She gave him a flat look under the mask.

"You were the one who suggested it in the first place." She said, deadpan, completely no selling the teasing. She then shrugged and rubbed her arm. "It's not like I didn't want to or anything. We're at a ball, the dance is, um, well it's kind of one of the big attractions right?"

She shuffled a little on her feet, before continuing.

"I just, uh, can't do a lot of physical stuff in general for very long." She admitted, frowning as she did. "It's just better if I take it slow."

@Max!!

Appearance
Konpeitō took Vladimir's arm. If not for that, he would be hopping around excitedly. All he could do now was gawk at the decorations and people while happily swaying his tail.

As the two moved towards the dance floor, Kon couldn't allow himself to keep quiet. He had to comment on something. "I've never been to a party like this before. I think the most similar one was the party hosted by Natasha. I almost feel like my dress is too short." He looked to Vladimir for confirmation. "Is it? I didn't know much about Masquerade Balls when I started designing, so I went with whatever, but now that I'm here I'm starting to rethink my design. I wanted something cute but formal-looking."

Alex raised an eyebrow at Harmonia's comment to him. He was in fact here tonight without a date. He wasn't particularly surprised when she said she was lacking a date herself. It was time to engage in one of the age old draconic practices. "That may be how things are normally, but tonight I'll be the one doing the stealing."

Capturing damsels, a draconic practice since time immemorial. "Besides, you at least owe me a dance for that incident at the house."

@Zora

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"I guess I did suggest it didn't I? And there really wouldn't be much point if we glued ourselves to the wall all night," he was loading up a plate with some food as he said this. "We can dance as long as you want. Then we'll just sit and people watch or something."

Sazz wasn't surprised Wednesday wasn't a big dancer, he was surprised at her physical weakness though. Well a little bit. She was a bookworm witch after all. He stuffed a bit of food into his mouth. "And no worries, I'll go super easy on ya."

@Lotharingia

It was good to hear that the boy's experience on the crazy island had been an easy transition. It can be a lot at first to get used to the supernatural and magic. He understood where he was coming from and friendly faces made the place seem less daunting.

"Yeah, I love the island. It's the first place I can really call home. Sure, there's been horrible crap that's happened but most of the people here are lovely." It was hard to forget certain things he had been through and those who were lost but everyone knew how hard life could be and seemed to pull together when it mattered.

He was getting accustomed to the dance now, as though he were counting in his head rather than having to rely on the other boy. He didn't feel as much of an outsider amongst the crowd of dancing people and for that he was grateful.

@Hope the Bard

"Hmm..." Harmonia hummed noncommittally as she very deliberately took a moment to consider Alex's words while letting her gaze move over him in a rather appreciative the once over.

"Well, if you insist," she finally said as she placed her champagne flute on a table and held her hand out to him.

"Besides, I wouldn't want people to think I am ungrateful for their help. You did after all get rid of that nasty wererat," she stated with a small, but playful smile.

@Max!!

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Bel flashed her dance partner a wide, rather mischievous grin when he asked if she had guessed who he might be.

"Oh, I think it's crystal clear who you might be. Though, I know you took great "panes" to keep people from seeing through your outfit," she stated as she smiled at his mask, pretty sure that it was her secret Santa from last year and fellow god, and friend.

@PixelatedGlory

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Vladimir just laughed at Kon's excited babbling, and instead of answering, he gave Kon a quick kiss instead.

"You look fine. Don't worry about the length," he reassured him, knowing his boyfriend had put a lot of effort into his outfit, as he pulled Konpeito into a slow waltz, placing one arm at his waist and the other in his hand.

"In fact, look over there," he said as he pointed out a woman wearing fishtail type dresses that was shorter in the front than in the back and exposed their legs almost up to the knees.

@Keen